Sensor systems integrated with steering wheels

ABSTRACT

Steering wheel sensor systems are described in which a sensor array is attached to or integrated with a steering wheel and provides information about the forces exerted on the steering wheel for interacting with or controlling other vehicle systems.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

The present application is a non-provisional and claims priority under35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/184,577entitled Sensor Systems Integrated With Steering Wheels filed on Jun.25, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Demand is rapidly rising for technologies that bridge the gap betweencomputing devices and the physical world. These interfaces typicallyrequire some form of sensor technology that translates information fromthe physical domain to the digital domain. The “Internet of Things”contemplates the use of sensors in a virtually limitless range ofapplications, for many of which conventional sensor technology is notwell suited.

SUMMARY

Steering wheel sensor systems are described herein. According to aparticular class of implementations, a sensor system includes a flexibledielectric substrate, flexible piezoresistive material in contact withthe flexible dielectric substrate, and an array of sensors. Each sensorincludes at least two conductive traces formed on the flexibledielectric substrate such that each sensor is also in contact with aportion of the flexible piezoresistive material. Sensor circuitry isconfigured to selectively energize the sensors, and to receive sensorsignals from the array of sensors. Each sensor signal represents a forceassociated with a corresponding one of the sensors. The flexibledielectric substrate, the piezoresistive material, and the array ofsensors are configured for wrapping around the steering wheel such thatthe array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumference of thesteering wheel.

According to another class of implementations, a sensor system includesa flexible piezoresistive substrate, and an array of sensors. Eachsensor includes at least two conductive traces formed on the flexiblepiezoresistive substrate. Sensor circuitry is configured to selectivelyenergize the sensors, and to receive sensor signals from the array ofsensors. Each sensor signal represents a force associated with acorresponding one of the sensors. The flexible piezoresistive substrateand the array of sensors are configured for wrapping around the steeringwheel such that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of acircumference of the steering wheel.

According to a specific implementation of either class ofimplementations, the sensor circuitry is configured to adjust each ofthe sensor signals with calibration data for the corresponding sensor,thereby substantially normalizing force data derived from the sensorsignals. According to a more specific implementation, the sensorcircuitry is configured to repeatedly recalculate the calibration datafor each of the sensors after the sensor system is integrated with thesteering wheel.

According to a specific implementation of either class ofimplementations, the sensor circuitry is configured to detect a gripevent associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor arrayby determining that a force associated with each of the consecutivelyarranged sensors exceeds a threshold for a specified duration.

According to a specific implementation of either class ofimplementations, the sensor circuitry is configured to detect a swipeevent associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor arrayby determining that a positive change in force associated with each ofthe consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a first threshold for a firstspecified duration, and a negative change in force associated with eachof the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a second threshold for asecond specified duration.

According to another class of implementations, a sensor system includesan array of sensors configured for integration with the steering wheelsuch that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumferenceof the steering wheel. Sensor circuitry is configured to selectivelyenergize the sensors, and to receive sensor signals from the array ofsensors. Each sensor signal represents a force associated with acorresponding one of the sensors. The sensor circuitry is configured toadjust each of the sensor signals with calibration data for thecorresponding sensor, thereby substantially normalizing force dataderived from the sensor signals. The sensor circuitry is also configuredto recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors after thesensor system is integrated with the steering wheel.

According to another class of implementations, a sensor system includesan array of sensors configured for integration with the steering wheelsuch that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumferenceof the steering wheel. Sensor circuitry is configured to receive sensorsignals from the array of sensors. Each sensor signal represents a forceassociated with a corresponding one of the sensors. The sensor circuitryis configured to detect a grip event associated with first consecutivelyarranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a forceassociated with each of the first consecutively arranged sensors exceedsa first threshold for a first specified duration. The first sensorcircuitry is also configured to detect a swipe event associated withsecond consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determiningthat a positive change in force associated with each of the secondconsecutively arranged sensors exceeds a second threshold for a secondspecified duration, and a negative change in force associated with eachof the second consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a third thresholdfor a third specified duration.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of variousimplementations may be realized by reference to the remaining portionsof the specification and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a particular implementation of steering wheel sensorsystem.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of sensor circuitry suitable foruse with various implementations.

FIG. 3 illustrates integration of a sensor system with a steering wheelaccording to a particular implementation.

FIG. 4 shows part of a steering wheel sensor system according to aparticular implementation.

FIG. 5 provides visual representations of data generated by a steeringwheel sensor system according to a particular implementation.

FIG. 6 illustrates integration of a sensor system with a steering wheelaccording to another implementation.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the layers of a steering wheelsensor system according to a particular implementation.

FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the layers of a steering wheel sensorsystem according to a particular implementation.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts illustrating aspects of the operation of asteering wheel sensor system according to particular implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Sensors and sensor systems incorporating piezoresistive materials aredescribed in this disclosure. In particular, sensor systems forintegration with vehicle steering wheels are described. Specificimplementations are described herein including the best modescontemplated. Examples of these implementations are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. However, the scope of this disclosure is notlimited to the described implementations. Rather, this disclosure isintended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents of theseimplementations. In the following description, specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the describedimplementations. Some implementations may be practiced without some orall of these specific details. In addition, well known features may nothave been described in detail to promote clarity.

Piezoresistive materials include any of a class of materials thatexhibit a change in electrical resistance in response to mechanicalforce (e.g., pressure, impact, distortion, etc.) applied to thematerial. One class of sensors described herein includes conductivetraces formed directly on or otherwise integrated with a flexiblesubstrate of piezoresistive material, e.g., a piezoresistive fabric orother flexible material. Another class of sensors described hereinincludes conductive traces formed directly on or otherwise integratedwith a flexible dielectric substrate with flexible piezoresistivematerial that is adjacent and/or tightly integrated with the dielectricsubstrate and in contact with (or in some cases held slightly off of)portions of the traces. When force is applied to such a sensor, theresistance between traces connected by the piezoresistive materialchanges in a time-varying manner that is representative of the appliedforce.

A signal representative of the magnitude of the applied force isgenerated based on the change in resistance. This signal is captured viathe conductive traces (e.g., as a voltage or a current), digitized(e.g., via an analog-to-digital converter), processed (e.g., by anassociated processor, controller, or suitable control circuitry), andpotentially mapped (e.g., by the associated processor, controller, orcontrol circuitry) to a control function that may be used in conjunctionwith virtually any type of process, device, or system. It should benoted that the output signals from such sensors may also be used todetect a variety of distortions and/or deformations of the substrate(s)on which they are formed or with which they are integrated such as, forexample, bends, stretches, torsions, rotations, etc. In addition, arraysof sensors having various configurations are described in thisdisclosure.

Printing, screening, depositing, thermally transferring, or otherwiseforming conductive traces directly on flexible substrates allows for thecreation of a sensor or sensor array that fits any arbitrary shape orvolume. The piezoresistive material on which the traces are formed orwith which the traces are in contact may be any of a variety of wovenand non-woven fabrics having piezoresistive properties. Implementationsare also contemplated in which the piezoresistive material may be any ofa variety of flexible, stretchable, or otherwise deformable materials(e.g., rubber, or a stretchable fabric such as spandex or open meshfabrics) having piezoresistive properties. The conductive traces may beformed on the piezoresistive material or a flexible dielectric substrateusing any of a variety of conductive inks or paints. More generally,implementations are contemplated in which the conductive traces areformed using any flexible conductive material that may be formed on aflexible substrate. It should be understood with reference to theforegoing that, while specific implementations are described withreference to specific materials and techniques, the scope of thisdisclosure is not so limited.

Both one-sided and two-side implementations are contemplated, e.g.,conductive traces can be printed or formed on one or both sides of aflexible substrate. As will be understood, two-sided implementations mayrequire some mechanism for connecting conductive traces on one side ofthe substrate to those on the other side. Some implementations use viasin which conductive ink or paint is flowed through the vias to establishthe connections. Alternatively, conductive vias or rivets may makeconnections through the flexible substrate. Both single and double-sidedimplementations may also use insulating materials formed over or underconductive traces. This allows for the stacking or layering ofconductive traces and signal lines, e.g., to allow the routing of signalline to isolated structures in a manner analogous to the differentlayers of a printed circuit board.

Routing of signals on and off the flexible substrate may be achieved ina variety of ways. For example, some implementations might useelastomeric connectors (e.g., ZEBRA® connectors) which alternateconductive and non-conductive rubber at a density typically an order ofmagnitude greater than the width of the conductive traces to which theyconnect (e.g., at the edge of the substrate). Alternatively, a circuitboard (possibly made of a flexible material such as Kapton), or a bundleof conductors may be riveted or otherwise secured to the substrate. Theuse of rivets may also provide mechanical reinforcement to theconnection.

According to some implementations, matching conductive traces or pads onthe flexible substrate and a circuit board can be secured to each otherusing, for example, a layer of conductive adhesive (e.g., a conductiveepoxy such as Masterbond EP79 from Masterbond, Inc. of Hackensack, N.J.)applied to one or both of the surfaces which are then mated to eachother. The conductive traces or pads can also be held together withadditional mechanical elements such as sonic welds or rivets. Ifconductive rivets are used to make the electrical connections to theconductive traces of the flexible substrate, the conductive adhesive maynot be required. Conductive threads may also be used to connect theconductive traces of the flexible substrate to an external assembly. Thewide range of variations within the scope of this disclosure will beapparent to those of skill in the art.

According to a particular class of implementations, the piezoresistivematerial is a pressure sensitive fabric manufactured by Eeonyx, Inc., ofPinole, Calif. The fabric includes conductive particles that arepolymerized to keep them suspended in the fabric. The base material is apolyester felt selected for uniformity in density and thickness as thispromotes greater uniformity in conductivity of the finishedpiezoresistive fabric. That is, the mechanical uniformity of the basematerial results in a more even distribution of conductive particleswhen the slurry containing the conductive particles is introduced. Thefabric may be woven. Alternatively, the fabric may be non-woven such as,for example, a calendared fabric, e.g., fibers bonded together bychemical, mechanical, heat, or solvent treatment. For implementations inwhich conductive traces are formed on the piezoresistive fabric,calendared material may present a smooth outer surface which promotesmore accurate screening of conductive inks.

The conductive particles in the fabric may be any of a wide variety ofmaterials including, for example, silver, copper, gold, aluminum,carbon, etc. Some implementations may employ carbon graphenes that areformed to grip the fabric. Such materials may be fabricated usingtechniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,468,332 for ElectroconductiveWoven and Non-Woven Fabric issued on Dec. 23, 2008, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes. However, it should again be noted that any of a wide varietyof flexible materials that exhibit a change in resistance orconductivity when force is applied to the material may be suitable forimplementation of sensors as described herein.

According to a particular class of implementations, conductive traceshaving varying levels of conductivity are formed on flexiblepiezoresistive material or a flexible dielectric substrate usingconductive silicone-based inks manufactured by, for example, E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) of Wilmington, Del., and/orCreative Materials of Ayer, Mass. An example of a conductive inksuitable for implementing highly conductive traces for use with variousimplementations is product number 125-19 from Creative Materials, aflexible, high temperature, electrically conductive ink. Examples ofconductive inks for implementing lower conductivity traces for use withvarious implementations are product numbers 7102 and 7105 from DuPont,both carbon conductive compositions. Examples of dielectric materialssuitable for implementing insulators for use with variousimplementations are product numbers 5018 and 5036 from DuPont, a UVcurable dielectric and an encapsulant, respectively. These inks areflexible and durable and can handle creasing, washing, etc. The degreeof conductivity for different traces and applications is controlled bythe amount or concentration of conductive particles (e.g., silver,copper, aluminum, carbon, etc.) suspended in the silicone. These inkscan be screen printed or printed from an inkjet printer. Another classof implementations uses conductive paints (e.g., carbon particles mixedwith paint) such as those that are commonly used for EMI shielding andESD protection.

Additional examples of sensors and arrays of sensors that may be usedwith various implementations enabled by the present disclosure aredescribed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0331522 entitledPiezoresistive Sensors and Applications filed on Jun. 9, 2014, and U.S.Patent Publication No. US 2015/0331523 entitled Two-Dimensional SensorArrays filed on Aug. 20, 2014, the entire disclosures of both of whichare incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. However, itshould also be noted that implementations are contemplated that employ avariety of other suitable sensor technologies.

Automobiles and other vehicles have become increasingly instrumented andthere continues to be interest in gathering data relating to variousvehicle subsystems and components for a wide variety of applications.According to a particular class of implementations, a steering wheelsensor system is provided in which a sensor array is attached to orintegrated with a steering wheel and is configured to provideinformation regarding forces exerted on the steering wheel, e.g., by thehands of a driver. FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example of such asensor system.

The depicted steering wheel sensor system includes fifteen sensors thatcapture data at locations around a steering wheel to which it isattached or with which it is integrated. According to someimplementations, the strip of material with which the sensors areintegrated is wrapped around at least a portion of the torus of thesteering wheel. According to some of these implementations, the stripruns lengthwise along the circumference of the steering wheel with thewidth of the strip being wrapped around the steering wheel (e.g., seeFIG. 3). And depending on the implementation, there may be one ormultiple such sensor arrays to capture force information around all oronly portions of the steering wheel.

In the example of FIG. 1, the sensors are implemented with conductivetrace patterns that are formed directly on or otherwise integrated witha flexible substrate; either a piezoresistive material or a dielectricmaterial. In the case of the former, portions of the conductive tracesthat are not intended to be part of a sensor (e.g., signal routingtraces) may be shielded or insulated from the piezoresistive material toreduce any unwanted contributions to the sensor signals. For example,the portions of the conductive traces that bring the drive and sensesignals to and from the sensors may be insulated from the piezoresistivematerial using, for example, a dielectric or non-conducting material(shaded portion of the array at the bottom of the figure) that is formedon the piezoresistive material before the conductive traces. Portions ofthe conductive traces are then formed over the insulating material. Theinsulating material may also be formed over the conductive traces toallow traces to cross or be routed in the same area.

In the depicted implementation there are 15 sensors, S1-S15. Each of thesensors includes two adjacent traces, the respective patterns of whicheach include extensions that alternate or are “interdigitated” with theextensions of the other. See, for example, the magnified view of sensorS6. As will be appreciated, a wide variety of trace patterns havingvarious geometries, numbers of traces, and spacings are contemplated(trace patterns 108-116 are some representative examples). One of thetraces 101 receives a drive signal; the other trace 102 transmits thecorresponding sensor signal to associated sensor circuitry (e.g., on PCB122). The drive signal might be provided, for example, by connecting thetrace (permanently or temporarily) to a voltage reference, a signalsource that may include additional information in the drive signal, aGPIO (General Purpose Input Output) pin of an associated processor orcontroller, etc.

And as shown in the example in FIG. 1, the sensor signal might begenerated using a voltage divider in which one of the resistors of thedivider includes the resistance between the two traces of the sensorthrough the intervening piezoresistive material. The other resistor(represented by R1) might be included, for example, with the associatedsensor circuitry. As the resistance of the piezoresistive materialchanges with applied force or pressure, the sensor signal also varies asa divided portion of the drive signal. As will be understood, any of awide variety of transformations of the drive signal via the change inresistance of the piezoresistive material may be employed for particularapplications.

The sensors are energized (via the drive signals) and interrogated (viathe sensor signals) to generate an output signal for each that is arepresentation of the amount of force exerted on or near that sensor. Aswill also be appreciated, and depending on the application,implementations are contemplated having more or fewer sensors.

According to various implementations, different sets of sensors may beselectively energized and interrogated thereby reducing the number andoverall area of traces on the substrate, as well as the requiredconnections to sensor circuitry on an associated PCB (e.g., PCB 122). Inthe implementation depicted in FIG. 1, the 15 sensors are drivensequentially so that they can share the same sensor signal line.Alternatively, the sensor system of FIG. 1 could include additionalsensors with the same number of connections to PCB 122. For example, 28sensors (rather than 15) might be driven via 14 drive signal outputsfrom the sensor circuitry (not shown) on PCB 122, and the sensor signalscould be received via 2 sensor signal inputs (rather than 1) to thesensor circuitry on PCB 122; with the same number of connections betweenthe substrate and the PCB (i.e., 16 in the depicted example). The set ofsensors providing sensor signals to one of the 2 sensor signal inputs(e.g., the even numbered sensors or the odd numbered sensors) may beenergized in any suitable sequence or pattern such that any signalreceived on the corresponding sensor signal input can be correlated withthe corresponding sensor drive signal by the sensor circuitry. Andbecause the sensor signals in such an implementation would be receivedby the sensor circuitry via two different sensor signal inputs, twosensors can be simultaneously energized as long as they are connected todifferent sensor signal inputs to the sensor circuitry. This allows forthe sharing of drive signal lines. Other suitable variations on thistheme will be understood by those of skill in the art to be within thescope of this disclosure.

According to some implementations, PCB 122 may be connected to theconductive traces of the sensor array as described U.S. PatentPublication No. 2015/0331533 entitled Flexible Sensors and Applicationsfiled on Mar. 27, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference for all purposes. According to otherimplementations, any of a variety of techniques may be employed to makesuch a connection including, for example, elastomeric connectors (e.g.,ZEBRA® connectors) which alternate conductive and non-conductive rubberat a density typically an order of magnitude greater than the width ofthe conductive traces to which they connect (e.g., at the edge of thefabric). A variety of other suitable alternatives are available to thoseof skill in the art.

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram of sensor circuitry that may be providedon a PCB for use with implementations described herein. For example, inthe implementation described above with reference to FIG. 1, such sensorcircuitry could be provided on PCB 122 and connected to the conductivetraces associated with sensors S1-S15. When pressure is applied to oneof the sensors, a resulting signal (captured via the correspondingtraces) is received and digitized (e.g., via multiplexer 202 and A-to-Dconverter 204) and may be processed locally (e.g., by processor 206)and/or transmitted to a connected device or application (e.g., via awired or a wireless connection). For example, the steering wheel sensorsystem might communicate (wired or wirelessly) over an automotiveController Area Network (CAN), a local interconnect network (LIN), anEthernet network, a Bluetooth or other wireless connection, etc., withone or more of a vehicle's onboard computing or control systems.Alternatively, or in addition, the system might communicate with anapplication on, for example, a smart phone or tablet.

The sensors may be selectively energized by the sensor circuitry (e.g.,under the control of processor 206 via D-to-A converter 208 andmultiplexer 210) to effect the generation of the sensor signals. Thesensor circuitry may be powered, for example, by the vehicle'selectrical system (e.g., via the steering column and/or hub of thesteering wheel). Alternatively, the sensor circuitry might have anassociated power source such as, for example, a battery, anenergy-harvesting power supply (e.g., the LTC3588 provided by LinearTechnology Corporation of Milpitas, Calif.), or the like. Processor 206may be implemented using any of a wide variety of controllers such as,for example, the C8051F380-GM controller provided by Silicon Labs ofAustin, Tex. Memory 207 includes non-transitory computer-readablestorage media that may be any of a wide variety of types of volatile andnon-volatile storage media, and may include computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, logic, firmware, and/orother data that implement or support the functionalities describedherein.

It should be noted that the sensor circuitry of FIG. 2 is only oneexample of how the various functionalities described herein may beimplemented. In addition to the wide variety of processors, controllers,and similar commercially available devices that may be employed, othertypes of devices and circuits may be employed. For example, many of thefunctionalities described herein could be implemented usingapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logicdevices (PLDs), or field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. Variouscombinations of discrete digital and/or analog circuit components mayalso be used. The scope of the present disclosure should therefore notbe limited by the specific examples of sensor circuitry describedherein.

One way in which a sensor system implemented as described herein may beintegrated with a steering wheel may be understood with reference toFIG. 3. Sensor system 300 is shown at the top of the figure in itsflattened configuration and then, in the middle of the figure, wrappedaround a cylindrical surface. At the bottom of the figure, a portion ofsensor system 300 is shown in relation to a section of steering wheel302 around which it may be wrapped; following the curve of steeringwheel 302. One or multiple instances of sensor system 300 may beprovided around the circumference of steering wheel 302 to providedesired coverage. Any of a variety of materials (e.g., leather or otherstandard materials) may be wrapped around the sensor system to provide adesired look and feel, protect the sensors from the environment, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the flexible substrate of the sensor systemmay include relief cutouts (e.g., 104, 304) that allow the substrate toconform to the shape of the steering wheel. According to a particularimplementation, the sensors are spaced with their centers approximatelyan inch apart allowing for sufficient resolution to distinguish, forexample, the individual fingers of the driver. More generally, thesensor may be configured to detect multiple contact points substantiallysimultaneously. For example, the pressure distribution over the fingersof each of the driver's hand could be captured. The pressure required toactivate a sensor may be configurable as well. According to a specificimplementation, the sensor activation threshold is in the range of about50-100 grams of pressure.

The sensitivity of each individual sensor can be adjusted in a varietyof ways. For example, the distance between and/or the numbers of theinterdigitated extensions of the conductive trace patterns may bemanipulated. The conductivity of the trace patterns may also bemanipulated. Mechanical elements can focus the forces to the areabetween the interdigitated conductors; effectively providing a “lens” todirect the grip pressure to parts of the sensor that are active. See,for example, mechanical elements described in U.S. Patent PublicationNo. 2015/0331523 referenced above. Software multipliers can be used onvalues derived from sensor signals to adjust sensitivity, as well asadjustments to the levels of the drive signals used to energize thesensors. In addition, the number of sensors may vary considerably fordifferent applications to achieve a desired resolution for a wide rangeof steering wheel diameters, thicknesses, and types. According to someimplementations, sensitivity may be controlled in response to externalconditions such as, for example, temperature and/or humidity which canaffect the stiffness of the materials (e.g., leather wrapping)associated with the sensor system.

According to a particular implementation, when the steering wheel sensorsystem powers up, the sensors may be calibrated using an “auto zero”process by which each sensor is energized and interrogated with theresulting value being stored by the system as corresponding to zeroforce. However, if the value for one or more of the sensors isdisproportionate (particularly for consecutive sensors in the array)this may be treated as if the steering wheel is already being touched.In such a case, previously stored values may be used as thezero-pressure baseline.

According to a particular class of implementations, drive signals may berouted to the sensors on the piezoresistive substrate and/or sensorsignals may be routed from the sensors to the sensor circuitry via anadjacent substrate. Such an approach might be useful, for example, toallow the sensors to occupy more of the width of the piezoresistivesubstrate than might otherwise be possible. According to a particularimplementation, contacts for each of the sensors are formed on thepiezoresistive substrate on which the sensors are included. For example,referring to the sensor array shown in FIG. 1, such a contact might beformed at the bottom right-hand corner of sensor S6 where the drivesignal is applied and/or at the upper left-hand corner where the sensorsignal is transmitted. Similar contacts could be formed near each of theother sensors.

FIG. 4 illustrates an implementation of a sensor array similar in somerespects to the arrays of FIGS. 1 and 3, but in which traces routingdrive signals from associated sensor circuitry (not shown) to the sensortrace patterns on piezoresistive substrate 402 are provided on aseparate substrate 404. Only portions of substrates 402 and 404 areshown for clarity. In the example depicted, each sensor on substrate 402has an associated contact 406 which corresponds to a matching contact408 on substrate 404.

As shown in the bottom half of FIG. 4, substrates 402 and 404 are placedadjacent each other and joined such that each pair of matching contactsmakes an electrical connection. FIG. 4 provides a cross-sectional view412 of the resulting vertical stack at a pair of matching contact pointswith piezoresistive substrate 402 at the bottom, matching contact points406 and 408 in the middle, and substrate 404 at the top. As will beunderstood the depicted orientation of the stack is arbitrary and thefeatures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Substrate 404 also includesconductive traces 414 connected to corresponding ones of contacts 408that route each of the drive signals from the sensor circuitry to thecorresponding sensor via the matching contacts. The sensor circuitrycould be on a PCB that is attached to or integrated with the adjacentsubstrate (e.g., as described in U.S. Patent Publication No.2015/0331533 referred to above). Alternatively, the sensor circuitrycould be on a PCB that is attached to or integrated with thepiezoresistive substrate or even another substrate (e.g., as describedin Publication No. 2015/0331533) using another set of conductive tracesand matching contacts that transmit the drive signals from one substrateto the other. As will be appreciated, additional traces on the same oran additional substrate (not shown) might also be provided for routingsensor signals from the sensor trace patterns to the sensor circuitry,e.g., via contacts 416.

According to a particular implementation, the adjacent substrate onwhich signals are routed is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (such as,for example, Products ST604, ET315, or 3918 from Bemis Associates Inc.of Shirley, Mass.) on which the matching contacts and conductive tracesare screen printed using a conductive flexible ink such as, for example,conductive silicone-based inks manufactured by E.I. du Pont de Nemoursand Company (DuPont) of Wilmington, Del., and/or Creative Materials ofAyer, Mass. When the TPU substrate and its traces and contacts areproperly aligned with the matching contacts on the piezoresistivesubstrate, the assembly is pressed and heated to fix the substrates toeach other and to establish the electrical connections between thematching contacts on the respective substrates. As will be appreciated,insulators and/or dielectrics may be formed over the traces on the TPUsubstrate before making the connections to insulate them from the traceson the piezoresistive substrate and from the piezoresistive substrateitself. The traces on the TPU substrate may also be formed on the sideof the TPU substrate opposite the piezoresistive substrate with vias tothe contacts on the opposing side.

For illustrative purposes, FIG. 5 provides a depiction of a virtualrepresentation of pressure exerted on a steering wheel as captured bysteering wheel sensor system enabled by the present disclosure. In thedepicted example, the pressure of two hands gripping the steering wheelis represented in three different ways. One way of depicting thepressure is by modifying the apparent width of the steering wheel inaccordance with the sensor values generated by the sensor system asshown at locations 502 and 504. The width of the affected area and theapparent constriction of the steering wheel represents the width and theforce of the driver's grip for each of the grip locations. A second wayof depicting the pressure is to provide a bar graph representation 505as shown in the center of the figure in which the sensor values are usedto generate the graph. Yet another way to depict the informationcaptured by the sensor system is to calculate a centroid of the pressurefor each quadrant of the steering wheel (represented by arrows 508 and510) from the sensor values. Each of these representations may bedynamic; reflecting changes in the location(s) and magnitude(s) of thepressure exerted on the steering wheel substantially in real time. Itshould be noted that the depicted representations are merely exampleswhich should serve to inform those of skill in the art of the many waysin which sensor data may be represented or transformed and thecorrespondingly wide range of applications that may be enabled withsteering wheel sensor systems enabled by the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates integration of a sensor system with a steering wheelaccording to another implementation. In the depicted implementation, thecircumference of the steering wheel is instrumented with two sensorarrays 602 and 604, each of which operates in a manner similar to thatdescribed above with reference to the sensor system of FIG. 1.Forty-four sensors are wrapped around the steering wheel split, in thisexample, into an upper array (604) and a lower array (602) withtwenty-two sensors each. As discussed with reference to the variousimplementations described herein, the flexibility of the substrates ofthe sensor system and the conductive materials from which the sensorsare formed, and the shapes and spacings of the sensors and reliefcutouts allow for sensor systems enabled by the present disclosure toconform to a wide range of steering wheels. The configuration in theupper-left-hand corner of FIG. 6 illustrates an example of how arrays602 and 604 might be integrated with a steering wheel, while theconfiguration in the center of the drawing shows the arrays in aflattened arrangement.

Similar to the sensors of FIG. 1, each of the sensors in arrays 602 and604 includes at least two adjacent traces, the respective patterns ofwhich each include extensions that alternate or are interdigitated withthe extensions of the other as shown in magnified view 605 of a portionof one of the sensors that includes interdigitated trace patterns 606Aand 606B. The trace patterns of each sensor are connected viapiezoresistive material with which they are in contact or on which theyare formed and form a resistive divider circuit with another resistiveelement (not shown). The sensors in each array are connected toassociated sensor circuitry (e.g., the sensor circuitry of FIG. 2) onPCBs enclosed by respective connector assemblies 608 and 610 via routingconductors that run longitudinally down the center of each array asshown (the shaded portion of the arrays in the flattened configuration.These conductors may be suitably insulated from the sensors to whichthey are not connected and the piezoresistive material of the array, andconnected to the associated sensor circuitry on their respective PCBs asdescribed above.

The size and shape of individual sensors in the sensor system may varyas shown in the figure to account for variations in the shape of thesteering wheel with which the system is integrated. For example,although most steering wheels are generally toroidal in shape, theyexhibit significant variation in the thickness and shape of thecross-section of the wheel at different locations around theircircumferences. The size of individual sensors may therefore be designedto avoid unnecessary or undesirable overlap for any given sensor whenthe system is wrapped around the wheel. In another example, steeringwheels also typically have some sort of structure(s) that connect thewheel to the steering column, e.g., spokes, cross-bars, hubs, etc. Thelengths and/or shapes of sensors that coincide with such structures maybe designed to accommodate such structures while providing the desiredsensor coverage. The sizes and shapes of the spaces between the sensors(and the relief cutouts of the various substrates of the system) mayalso be designed to ensure that the sensor array(s) conform(s) to thecontours of the steering wheel.

Connector assemblies 608 and 610 connect to each other as depicted inboth configurations such that, when integrated with the steering wheelthe connector assemblies meet at or near the center or hub of thesteering wheel as shown in the upper-left-hand configuration of FIG. 6.As will be understood, the entirety of both arrays would be concealedwithin the steering wheel and its outer covering. It will also beunderstood that the number of arrays and the number of instances ofsensor circuitry controlling the operation of the array(s) may vary. Forexample, multiple sensor arrays could be controlled by common sensorcircuitry, and/or the steering wheel could be instrumented with only asingle array of sensors rather than multiple arrays. In another example,more than two arrays might be used to fully instrument a steering wheel,with one or more instances of sensor circuitry to control operation ofone or more of the arrays. In another example, for steering wheelshaving spokes connecting the wheel to a central hub (particularly largersteering wheel associated with trucks and buses), the spokes may beinstrumented as described herein to enable detection of force on boththe wheel and the spokes. A wide range of other variations will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

According to some implementations in which a heating system isintegrated with the steering wheel, the ground(s) of the sensor systemmay be connected to the ground of the heating system. This may provideadvantages that contribute to the reliability of the sensor system suchas, for example, protection of the various components of the sensorsystem from damage due to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Such groundingmay also serve to make the operation of the sensor system more robust inthe face of radio frequency noise and other types of electromagneticinterference (EMI); in some cases reducing noise that interferes withreliable detection of forces acting on the steering wheel.

FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the layers of a sensor system as wrappedaround a steering wheel. FIG. 8 shows a flattened and exploded view ofthe layers of a sensor system that may be integrated with a steeringwheel as shown in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 7, the layer closest tosteering wheel 702 is heating layer 704 which includes the steeringwheel heating system and its associated electronics. A layer ofpressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) 704 is provided around heating layer704 to which the sensor system (including layers 706-714) is secured.The steering wheel and the heating and sensor systems are then wrappedwith an outer covering, in this case, leather 716. It will be understoodthat more or fewer layers using different combinations of materials maybe used for different implementations.

Referring to FIG. 8, the sensor trace patterns, signal routing traces,and insulators of the sensor array are screen printed on a substrate 802which may be, for example, a flexible PET (polyethylene terephthalate)substrate (e.g., PET 710). In the depicted implementation,piezoresistive substrate 804 (e.g., fabric 712) is a continuous layer ofmaterial. Alternatively, the piezoresistive material may be isolatedpiezoresistive “patches” of material aligned with individual sensors orgroups of sensors. These patches may have shapes that are suitable for agiven sensor trace pattern or an arrangement of the corresponding groupof sensors.

According to a particular implementation, piezoresistive substrate 804(or the piezoresistive patches) is (are) adhered to a substrate 806which may be, for example, a non-permeable, flexible material such as,for example, a thermoplastic polyurethane or TPU, such as thoseavailable from Bemis Associates Inc. of Shirley, Mass. (e.g., TPU 714).The piezoresistive material may be adhered to the TPU by selectiveheating or using a suitable adhesive. Similarly, substrate 802 isadhered to a substrate 808 which has substantially the same shape assubstrate 806 and may be constructed of the same or substantiallysimilar material (e.g., TPU 708).

Substrate 804 is positioned relative to the substrate 802 such that thesections between the cutouts along its edges are aligned with thecorresponding sensor trace patterns. The substrates are then thermallypressed together so substrate 808 melts into substrate 806 (at least forimplementations including TPU substrates), bringing the sensor tracepatterns and the piezoresistive material into intimate contact, andforming a hermetic seal around the sensor array and the routing tracesleading to sensor circuitry. The seal provides environmental protectionfor the sensors and traces and helps hold the individual sensorcomponents in position resulting in a robust and tightly integratedunit.

Environmental protection can be particular advantageous for theconductive inks from which the sensors and traces are constructed giventheir tendency to oxidize and degrade over time when exposed to variousenvironmental contaminants. Such a construction may be useful inprotecting the sensor array from environmental conditions and shearforces, but may also enable a wide dynamic range of operation for eachof the sensors depending on the thickness and/or rigidity of thematerials selected.

According to an alternative implementation, the sensor trace patternsand routing conductors of the sensor array may be formed (e.g., printed)on substrate 808 (e.g., TPU 708) rather than substrate 802, eliminatingthe need for an additional substrate. The sensor trace patterns andconductors may be formed on one or both sides of substrate 808. Forexample, the sensor trace patterns could be formed on the underside ofsubstrate 808 (i.e., the side facing the piezoresistive material) withthe routing conductors formed on the upper side of substrate 808. Asdiscussed above and in one or more of the patent publications referredto herein, connections can be made between the sensor trace patterns andtheir corresponding routing conductors using apertures or vias throughsubstrate 808.

The conductors of the sensor array may be connected to the sensorcircuitry that controls operation of the sensor system in a variety ofways. Two alternative examples are shown in FIG. 8. It will beappreciated that the two options are depicted together for conveniencebut that a typical implementation would only include one such option fora given sensor array. According to a first option, connector assembly810 (shown in a magnified view) connects with the routing traces ofsubstrate 802 at cutout 812. This may be accomplished, for example, asdescribed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0331533 referred toelsewhere herein. Connector assembly 810 includes sensor circuitry(e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 2) on PCB 814 that maybe configured to operate with any subset or combination of thefunctionalities described herein. As described above, connector assembly810 may be configured to connect with another similar connector assemblyof another sensor array (e.g., see connectors assemblies 608 and 610 ofFIG. 6). Alternatively connector assembly 810 may be configured toconnect to other vehicle systems.

According to a second option, connector 816 (shown in a magnified view)connects with the routing traces of substrate 802 at cutout 818 toprovide connectivity to sensor circuitry on another assembly (notshown). Connector 816 might be, for example, any of a variety of flatflexible cable (FFC) connectors, flexible printed circuit (FPC)connectors, ribbon connectors, and the like. According to a particularimplementation, connector 816 is a zero-insertion-force (ZIF) flat flexconnector such as, for example, connectors available from MolexIncorporated of Lisle, Ill. A wide variety of other suitable connectiontechnologies will be apparent to those of skill in the art, the natureof which will depend, in part, on factors such as specific requirementsof the vehicle manufacturer, the nature of the sensor circuitry, and/orthe nature of the vehicle system(s) with which the sensor system isintended to interact.

As will be understood, the responses of the sensors in arrays enabled bythe present disclosure may exhibit variation relative to each other.According to some implementations, calibrated sensor data are stored(e.g., in memory 207 of processor 206) representing the response of eachof the sensors. Such data may also account for changes in individualsensor response over temperature. Calibration data can also account forvariations caused by mechanical differences experienced by differentsensors based on where each sensor is located in the array. Such datamay be used for ensuring consistency in the way the sensor outputs areprocessed and/or used to represent applied forces. During calibration,the output of each sensor (e.g., as captured by ADC 204) is measured fora range of known input forces (and possibly temperatures as well). Thismay be done, for example, by placing each sensor on a scale, applyingforce to that sensor, and recording a value in memory for each of aplurality of ADC values that represents a corresponding value reportedby the scale (possibly at a given temperature). In this way, a set ofdata points for each sensor is captured (e.g., in a table in memory 207)associating ADC values with corresponding forces (e.g., weights in gramsor kilograms) as well as possibly temperatures. The stored data may alsobe in the form of offsets that are applied to the ADC values thatnormalize the sensors to the same scale of forces. The data set for eachsensor might capture an offset or force value for every possible valueof the ADC output (which may have a resolution of 10 bits or more)and/or for very small changes in temperature. Alternatively, fewer datapoints may be captured and the sensor circuitry may use interpolation toderive offsets or force values for ADC outputs not represented in thedata set. Variations on this theme will be understood by those of skillin the art.

Both the sensitivity and dynamic range of sensor systems enabled by thepresent disclosure may be particularly advantageous for the integrationof sensor systems with steering wheels. That is, a multilayer assemblywrapped around a steering wheel (such as the one shown in FIG. 7) willtypically be wrapped tightly with a significant amount of force exertedon the sensor system in its “relaxed” state, i.e., the state in which noexternal forces are being exerted on the steering wheel. As will beappreciated, this force will consume much of the potential dynamic rangeof the sensor system, leaving only a portion of the dynamic range at theupper end of the scale for the detection of forces. Because of thisreduction in dynamic range, it is advantageous that, at least for someimplementations enabled by the present disclosure, the remaining dynamicrange is sufficient to capture the range of forces expected. Moreover,the sensitivity to force enabled by the present disclosure also allowsfor sensor systems that can measure forces within that range veryprecisely, e.g., for every possible value of the ADC output as describedabove. Thus, the combination of dynamic range and sensitivity of sensorsystems enabled by the present disclosure represents significantadvantages relative to other sensor technology.

Generating the set of data points for each sensor may be done byapplying the force individually to each sensor using, for example, adevice with a footprint that matches the sensor's active areaconfiguration (e.g., see the shape of sensor S6 of FIG. 1). It may alsobe done by applying force simultaneously over multiple sensors(potentially up to the entire array) using, for example, a precisioninflatable bladder that distributes force evenly over the set ofsensors. The measurements for a given force can then be captured byactivating the sensors sequentially. Other variations will beappreciated by those of skill in the art. Regardless of how thecalibration force is applied, what results is data set that the sensorcircuitry may use to map the output received from each sensor to a moreaccurate representation of the force represented. As will beappreciated, this consistency of representation may be important forsome applications.

For some applications, it may also be important to account for crosstalkamong the sensors of an array. Crosstalk refers to contributions to aparticular sensor's output attributable to other resistive components ofthe array in parallel with the resistance of the sensor of interest;often referred to as parasitic resistances. According to someimplementations, the capture of a sensor's output is accomplishedthrough the use of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that comparesthe input to a stable reference and generates an ADC Count given by:

${Count} = {{ADC}_{\max}*\left( \frac{\left( {V_{+} - V_{-}} \right)}{V_{ref}} \right)}$where V₊-V⁻ represents the ADC input voltage from the sensor (V_(in)),and V_(ref) the ADC's reference. According to a particular class ofimplementations, it is possible to more accurately determine the valueof the resistance of interest by taking multiple measurements for thesensor and combining the measurements mathematically in a way thatallows for solving for the resistance of interest.

According to one such implementation, one measurement, V1, is taken withthe drive signal of the sensor of interest driven high and the drivesignals of all of the other sensors driven low. A second measurement,V2, is taken with the drive signal of the sensor of interest driven lowand the drive signals of the other sensors driven high. Equations for V1and V2 may be written as follows:

${V\; 1} = {3.3\mspace{14mu}{V\left( \frac{{R?{}}{Rp}}{{R?{+ R}}{}{Rp}} \right)}}$${V\; 2} = {3.3\mspace{14mu}{V\left( \frac{R{}{Rp}}{R + {{R?{}}{Rp}}} \right)}}$where R represents the resistance of the sensor of interest, R?represents the resistance of the other resistive components of the arraycontributing to the measurement, Rp represents the other resistor of thesensor's voltage divider, and 3.3V represents the reference voltage ofthe ADC. Using substitution, we can find an equation for V1 in terms ofV2 (or vice-versa), eliminating the dependence on R? as follows:

${V\; 1} = {{Rp}\left( \frac{{3.3\mspace{14mu} V} - {V\; 2}}{R + {Rp}} \right)}$${V\; 2} = {{3.3\mspace{14mu} V} - \frac{V\; 1\left( {R + {Rp}} \right)}{Rp}}$Solving either of these equations for R yields:

$R = {{Rp}\left( {\frac{{3.3\mspace{14mu} V} - {V\; 2}}{V\; 1} - 1} \right)}$And since the measurements of V1 and V2 are in units of ADC Counts, wecan choose Vref=Vin=3.3V such that the sensor circuitry (e.g., processor206) can determine R, the resistance of the sensor of interest, asfollows:

$R = {{Rp}\left( {\frac{{ADC}_{\max} - {Count}_{V\; 2}}{{Count}_{V\; 1}} - 1} \right)}$A more accurate determination of R allows for a more accuratedetermination of the force applied to the sensor of interest (e.g.,using R as an index into a table of resistance vs. force values).

Modifications to this approach might be useful for some applications inwhich it is desirable to reduce the amount of time required to completethe measurements and calculations for each sensor. For example, V2 canbe measured without driving the signal line for the sensor of interestlow, in which case it can be shown that R, the resistance of the sensorof interest, is given by:

$R = {{Rp}\left( \frac{{ADC}_{\max} - {Count}_{V\; 2}}{{Count}_{V\; 1}} \right)}$

This requires fewer instructions/operations by the sensor circuitry andmay be advantageous for applications using higher sample rates. Othervariations of these approaches may be apparent to those of skill in theart.

The detection of forces on a particular implementation of a steeringwheel sensor system is described with reference to the flowcharts ofFIGS. 9 and 10. As will be appreciated, these processes may beperformed, for example, by sensor circuitry (e.g., a processor orcontroller configured with firmware) as described above with referenceto FIG. 2.

The sensors of the array are driven sequentially and the resistance ofeach is captured via the conversion of each sensor's output voltage byan analog-to-digital converter (e.g., ADC 204). After ADC values havebeen captured for all of the sensors of the array, an ‘update’ flag isset. Within the system's main execution cycle (which occurs in theneighborhood of 55 times per second in one class of implementations),this flag is polled to determine when a new “frame” of data (i.e., a newset of values representing all of the sensors of the array) is ready foranalysis. When the flag is set, the system checks for “grip events”using adjusted thresholding (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 9), and for“swipe events” using delta thresholding (e.g., as illustrated in FIG.10).

FIG. 9 illustrates the process of determining whether a grip event hasoccurred for one sensor. The depicted process is performed for eachsensor during each execution cycle (triggered by the flag being set).The process shows two paths, one in which a grip event for the sensorhas not yet been detected (i.e., the sensor's state is “IDLE”), and onein which a grip event for the sensor has already been detected (i.e.,the sensor's state is “GRIPPED_ON”).

As described above, due to variations in the sensors, each sensor hascalibration data (in this example an offset associated with its baseresistance) that is used to adjust the raw ADC values to arrive at anadjusted ADC reading for each sensor (i.e., “adj”). This offset-adjustedvalue is substantially proportional to applied force; with no appliedforce yielding an offset adjusted value of approximately 0 ADC counts(i.e., “hitcount”). To recognize sustained force, i.e., a “grip event,”this offset-adjusted value is monitored using a finite state machine(FSR) and four thresholds as represented in FIG. 9. These thresholdscorrespond to “on” and “off” levels for the amplitude of the ADC outputrepresenting the magnitude of applied force (i.e., “onAmpThreshold” and“offAmpThreshold”), and “on” and “off” levels for the number of ADCsamples representing the duration of applied force (i.e.,“onLenThreshold” and “offLenThreshold”). If the offset-adjusted ADCvalue for a sensor in the “IDLE” state is above the “on” amplitudethreshold (902) for a number of samples greater than the “on” lengththreshold (904), a “gripOn” message is generated (906) and that sensoradvances to the “GRIPPED_ON” state (908). Conversely, if theoffset-adjusted ADC value for a sensor in the “GRIPPED_ON” state dropsbelow the “off” amplitude threshold (910) for a number of samplesgreater than the “off” length threshold (912), a “gripOff” message isgenerated (914) and the sensor returns to the “IDLE” state (916). Thisprocess is performed for each sensor during each execution cycle todetect events in which sustained force is applied.

FIG. 10 illustrates the process of determining whether a swipe event hasoccurred for one sensor. As with the process illustrated in FIG. 9, theprocess depicted in FIG. 10 is performed for each sensor during eachexecution cycle. The process shows three paths, one in which a swipeevent for the sensor has not yet been detected (i.e., the sensor's stateis “IDLE”), one in which a swipe event for the sensor has been detected(i.e., the sensor's state is “SWIPE_ON”), and a third in which a swipeevent has terminated (i.e., the sensor's state is “SWIPE_OFF”). A swipeevent is detected if a sequence of adjacent sensors are activated in aparticular order and/or direction.

To recognize quick changes in force as when a finger moves quicklyacross a sensors, i.e., a “swipe event,” the change or delta in force(i.e., “del”) is monitored. The delta value is not an instantaneousdelta, but rather a sum of the differences between the past severalsamples. The number of samples used is programmable and may be adjustedto suit a particular application and execution cycle. According to aparticular class of implementations in which the execution cycle wasabout 55 cycles per second, about eight samples was found to be aneffective number. A circular buffer of n deltas between adjacent samplesis maintained and, after each new sample, the delta buffer is summed.This can be summarized by the following equation:

${del} = {{\sum\limits_{i = 0}^{n - 1}\;{\Delta\;{ADC}_{i}}} = {{\sum\limits_{i = 0}^{n}\;\left( {{ADC}_{i + 1} - {ADC}_{i}} \right)} = {{ADC}_{n - 1} - {ADC}_{0}}}}$Swipes are detected using a finite state machine, similar to that usedfor grip detection, with its own set of thresholds. Each sensor remainsin the “IDLE” state unless perturbed (similar to the grip detectionstate machine) but may advance to one of two states depending upon thesign of the change in force. If the change in force for a sensor ispositive and greater than the “on” amplitude threshold (i.e.,“onAmpThreshold”) (1002) for a number of samples (i.e., “onCount”)greater than the “on” length threshold (i.e., “onLenThreshold”) (1004),a “swipeOn” message is generated (1006) and the sensor advances to the“SWIPE_ON” state (1008) until the force stabilizes or reverses sign. Inthe opposite case where the change in force is negative and greater inmagnitude than the “off” amplitude threshold (i.e., “offAmpThreshold”)(1010) for a number of samples (i.e., “offCount”) greater than the “off”length threshold (i.e., “offLenThreshold”) (1012), a “swipeOff” messageis generated (1014) and the sensor advances to the “SWIPE_OFF” state(1016). The state machine remains in either of these swiped states untilthe force stabilizes (“del” equal to zero) or changes sign. At thatpoint the state of the sensor returns to “IDLE” and the system monitorsthe sensor for further changes in force. In this way, an event can bedetected in which a driver moves a finger around the circumference ofthe steering wheel. It should be noted that although the variablesonAmpThreshold, offAmpThreshold, onLenThreshold, and offLenThreshold inFIGS. 9 and 10 share the same names, the values are likely to bedifferent for the different algorithms.

The detection of grip and swipe events can support recognition of avariety of gestures that can be mapped to various control functions.Examples of gestures include, but are not limited to, single and doublegrips, swipes (clockwise and counter-clockwise), driver presence, etc.For example, grip event detection can support recognition of single anddouble grip gestures that can be analogized to single and double-clicksof a computer mouse and mapped to a similarly broad range of controlfunctions, e.g., such gestures could be mapped to commands to answer aphone call, turn an audio system on or off, interact with a navigationsystem, etc. In another example, grip event detection can supportrecognition of the presence of a driver's hands on the steering wheel,and can be detected at any point (or multiple points) around thecircumference of the steering wheel.

Each sensor's offset stored by the sensor circuitry may change over timedue to factors including changes in temperature and gradual compressionor decompression of the piezoresistive material. Therefore, according tosome implementations, the offset for each sensor is repeatedlyrecalculated over time to account for this variation. According to aparticular implementation, the sensors are sequentially scanned andevaluated on a regular basis to determine whether they are eligible foroffset recalculation. Several criteria must be met for offsetrecalculation to occur: (1) the sensor being evaluated must not bedepressed (e.g., its state must be “IDLE”); (2) sufficient time musthave passed since the sensor being evaluated was last released; (3)other sensors sharing a drive line with the sensor being evaluated mustall be released, or, if sensor(s) on the same drive line are pressed,the sensor being evaluated must be within an acceptable range for offsetrecalculation to occur.

If the sensor in question is pressed (e.g., as determined by the gripdetection algorithm), offset recalculation is not performed because thecurrent ADC value reflects the resistance of the sensor with forceapplied, rather than the “IDLE” state of the sensor. A “hold-off” timerensures that a sensor is given sufficient time to return to a relaxedphysical state. Upon the release of a sensor, the hold-off timer isrefilled and then decremented with each subsequent scan of the sensor.If the sensor is not depressed again prior to the hold-off timer'sexpiration, the sensor offset is recalculated.

If one or more sensors sharing a drive line are sufficiently depressed,their resistance will be low enough to draw more current than the drivelines can readily supply. This will lead to driveline “drooping” as thevoltage seen at the driveline node is lowered by the current draw. As aresult, the raw ADC output for untouched sensors sharing that drivelinemay rise. If an untouched sensor's offset is recalculated at that time,when the other sensors are released the untouched sensor's raw ADCoutput will drop and the offset-adjusted ADC output will rise. Theoffset-adjusted ADC output could potentially rise above the on amplitudethreshold, causing a false trigger and a stuck sensor.

If a sensor sharing a driveline with pressed sensors is itselfuntouched, gradual changes in environmental factors and relaxation ofsensor fabric can affect the sensor offset and may be accounted for. Inthe case that a sensor's raw ADC output decreases below the offset, ifthis change is less than the “on” amplitude threshold for a grip, thatsensor's offset is recalculated. This prevents the scenario describedabove while still accounting for offset deviation in the otherdirection.

When the criteria for a given sensor are met, the sensor's current rawADC output is factored into its current offset using an infinite-impulseresponse (IIR) filter. This allows the offset to gradually approach itsnew value while suppressing momentary jumps in ADC output.

As will be appreciated, the range of applications of sensor systemsenabled by the present disclosure is quite broad. For example, asteering wheel sensor system could be used for vehicle safetyapplications, e.g., to ensure that the driver has at least one hand onthe wheel. Such a system might issue a warning when it determines thatthe driver is not touching the wheel or gripping the wheel withsufficient force while the vehicle is running and/or in motion. A moresophisticated use of the data from a steering wheel sensor systemenabled by the present disclosure might track variations in gripstrength and/or location to detect driver fatigue; a significant factorin many highway accidents in the trucking and transportation industries.

Steering wheel sensor systems might also be useful with self-drivingvehicles. For example, in addition to determining that the driver is nottouching the wheel or that the driver is fatigued as described above,this information might be used to initiate control of the vehicle by thedriverless control system. Control of a vehicle might also be switchedfrom a driverless control system to the vehicle's occupant in responseto the steering wheel system sensing that the occupant has grabbed thesteering wheel.

Other vehicle systems might be controlled using a steering wheel sensorsystem. For example, navigation, entertainment, communications, cruisecontrol, or environmental systems of a vehicle could be controlledwithout requiring the driver to remove her hands from the steering wheel(thus maintaining the driver's focus and improving safety). In oneexample, a double squeeze of the steering wheel might answer a call on aBluetooth-connected smart phone, or allow a voice command to be actedupon. Sliding the hand along the circumference of the steering wheelcould be used to adjust the volume of the vehicle's entertainment systemor the temperature of the interior of the vehicle.

In another example, driver hand location determined using a steeringwheel sensor system might be used to control airbag deployment to reduceairbag injuries. In another example, a steering wheel sensor systemmight generate statistical information over time about driving habits;information that could be used by a driver to improve things like handpositioning, wheel turning technique, etc. Such information might alsobe linked or provided to habit tracking applications that employ globalpositioning system (GPS) technology to develop an understanding ofdriver behavior based on location and/or time. In another example,steering wheel sensor systems could be used in driving simulators andreal vehicles for driver training.

As will be appreciated from the diversity of the foregoing examples, therange of applications for steering wheel sensor systems enabled by thepresent disclosure is quite broad and diverse.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in theform and details of the implementations described herein may be madewithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example,implementations have been described herein in which conductive tracesare formed directly on or otherwise integrated with a flexiblepiezoresistive substrate to form various types of sensor systems.However, the scope of this disclosure is not so limited. That is, itshould be noted that implementations are contemplated in which some oreven all of the conductive traces of a sensor system enabled by thepresent disclosure may not be formed directly on a flexiblepiezoresistive substrate, but instead are formed on another substratethat is placed in contact with a piezoresistive substrate. For example,as described above, the conductive traces forming a sensor array may beformed on a non-conductive or low conductivity substrate (e.g., a fabricor rubber with dielectric properties) which is placed in contact with aflexible piezoresistive substrate in a multi-layer structure such thatthe conductive traces are in contact with the piezoresistive substrate.As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, such an arrangementmay function in a manner similar to sensor systems in which theconductive traces are formed directly on the piezoresistive substrate.As will also be appreciated various functionalities described herein inthe context of one configuration of a piezoresistive sensor system maybe readily applied to other configurations.

More generally, functionalities that have been described herein withreference to arrays of piezoresistive sensors may be applicable tosensor systems based on other types of force-sensing technology. Suchfunctionalities include, for example, techniques for detecting gripevents and swipe events, and techniques for recalculating sensor offsetsor other types of sensor calibration data.

In another example, implementations have been described herein in whichsensor arrays are configured along a strip that runs lengthwise alongthe circumference of the steering wheel with the width of the stripbeing wrapped around the steering wheel. However, implementations arealso contemplated in which such a strip is wrapped around the steeringwheel diagonally in a spiraling fashion.

In view of the diversity of variations contemplated by the inventors,the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by referenceto the details of specific examples described herein.

Finally, although various advantages and aspects may have been describedwith reference to particular implementations, the scope of thisdisclosure should not be limited by reference to such advantages andaspects.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sensor system for use with a steering wheel, comprising: a flexible dielectric substrate; flexible piezoresistive material in contact with the flexible dielectric substrate; an array of sensors, each sensor comprising at least two conductive traces formed on the flexible dielectric substrate and in contact with a corresponding portion of the flexible piezoresistive material; and sensor circuitry configured to selectively energize the sensors, and to receive sensor signals from the array of sensors, each sensor signal representing a force associated with a corresponding one of the sensors; wherein the flexible dielectric substrate, the piezoresistive material, and the array of sensors are configured for wrapping around the steering wheel such that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumference of the steering wheel.
 2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the piezoresistive material is continuous and substantially conforms to a shape of the array of sensors.
 3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the piezoresistive material comprises a plurality of patches, each of the patches substantially conforming to a shape of one or more of the sensors.
 4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein different sensors in the array of sensors have different dimensions that correspond to variations in contours of the steering wheel.
 5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors has calibration data associated therewith, the sensor circuitry being further configured to adjust each of the sensor signals with the calibration data for the corresponding sensor, thereby substantially normalizing force data derived from the sensor signals.
 6. The sensor system of claim 5, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to repeatedly recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors after the sensor system is integrated with the steering wheel.
 7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to detect a grip event associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a threshold for a specified duration.
 8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to detect a swipe event associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a positive change in force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a first threshold for a first specified duration, and a negative change in force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a second threshold for a second specified duration.
 9. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to generate control information from the sensor signals, the control information being for use by a vehicle safety control system, a driverless vehicle control system, a vehicle braking control system, a vehicle cruise control system, a vehicle entertainment system, a vehicle navigation system, a vehicle communication system, or a vehicle environmental system.
 10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the flexible dielectric substrate includes relief cutouts that allow the array of sensors to conform to the portion of the circumference of the steering wheel.
 11. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the steering wheel has a heating system associated therewith, the heating system having an electrical ground, the sensor system further comprising a ground connection configured for connection to the electrical ground of the heating system when the sensor system is integrated with the steering wheel.
 12. A sensor system for use with a steering wheel, comprising: a flexible piezoresistive substrate; an array of sensors, each sensor comprising at least two conductive traces formed on a corresponding portion of the flexible piezoresistive substrate; and sensor circuitry configured to selectively energize the sensors, and to receive sensor signals from the array of sensors, each sensor signal representing a force associated with a corresponding one of the sensors; wherein the flexible piezoresistive substrate and the array of sensors are configured for wrapping around the steering wheel such that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumference of the steering wheel.
 13. The sensor system of claim 12, wherein different sensors in the array of sensors have different dimensions that correspond to variations in contours of the steering wheel.
 14. The sensor system of claim 12, wherein each of the sensors has calibration data associated therewith, the sensor circuitry being further configured to adjust each of the sensor signals with the calibration data for the corresponding sensor, thereby substantially normalizing force data derived from the sensor signals.
 15. The sensor system of claim 14, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to repeatedly recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors after the sensor system is integrated with the steering wheel.
 16. The sensor system of claim 12, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to detect a grip event associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a threshold for a specified duration.
 17. The sensor system of claim 12, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to detect a swipe event associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a positive change in force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a first threshold for a first specified duration, and a negative change in force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a second threshold for a second specified duration.
 18. The sensor system of claim 12, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to generate control information from the sensor signals, the control information being for use by a vehicle safety control system, a driverless vehicle control system, a vehicle braking control system, a vehicle cruise control system, a vehicle entertainment system, a vehicle navigation system, a vehicle communication system, or a vehicle environmental system.
 19. A sensor system for use with a steering wheel, comprising: an array of sensors configured for integration with the steering wheel such that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumference of the steering wheel; and sensor circuitry configured to selectively energize the sensors, and to receive sensor signals from the array of sensors, each sensor signal representing a force associated with a corresponding one of the sensors, the sensor circuitry being further configured to adjust each of the sensor signals with calibration data for the corresponding sensor, thereby substantially normalizing force data derived from the sensor signals, the sensor circuitry being further configured to recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors after the sensor system is integrated with the steering wheel.
 20. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to initially calculate at least a portion of the calibration data each time the sensor system is powered on.
 21. The sensor system of claim 20, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to determine that a force is being exerted on a first sensor when the sensor system is powered on, and to use previously stored calibration data for the first sensor.
 22. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to retrieve previously stored calibration data each time the sensor system is powered on.
 23. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors by: determining that no force is being exerted on the sensor; determining that no force has been exerted on the sensor for a specified duration; and determining that no force is being exerted on another sensor with which the sensor shares a signal line.
 24. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors by factoring new calibration data for the sensor into current calibration data for the sensor using an infinite-impulse response filter.
 25. A sensor system for use with a steering wheel, comprising: an array of sensors configured for integration with the steering wheel such that the array of sensors conforms to a portion of a circumference of the steering wheel; and sensor circuitry configured to receive sensor signals from the array of sensors, each sensor signal representing a force associated with a corresponding one of the sensors, the sensor circuitry being further configured to detect a grip event associated with first consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a force associated with each of the first consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a first threshold for a first specified duration, the first sensor circuitry being further configured to detect a swipe event associated with second consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a positive change in force associated with each of the second consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a second threshold for a second specified duration, and a negative change in force associated with each of the second consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a third threshold for a third specified duration.
 26. The sensor system of claim 25, further comprising: a flexible dielectric substrate on which the sensors of the array of sensors are formed; and flexible piezoresistive material in contact with the flexible dielectric substrate and the sensors; wherein the flexible dielectric substrate, the piezoresistive material, and the array of sensors are configured for wrapping around the steering wheel such that the array of sensors conforms to the portion of the circumference of the steering wheel.
 27. The sensor system of claim 26, wherein the piezoresistive material is continuous and substantially conforms to a shape of the array of sensors.
 28. The sensor system of claim 26, wherein the piezoresistive material comprises a plurality of patches, each of the patches substantially conforming to a shape of one or more of the sensors.
 29. The sensor system of claim 25, further comprising a flexible piezoresistive substrate on which the sensors of the array of sensors are formed, wherein the flexible piezoresistive substrate and the array of sensors are configured for wrapping around the steering wheel such that the array of sensors conforms to the portion of the circumference of the steering wheel.
 30. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein each of the sensors has calibration data associated therewith, the sensor circuitry being further configured to adjust each of the sensor signals with the calibration data for the corresponding sensor, thereby substantially normalizing force data derived from the sensor signals, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to recalculate the calibration data for each of the sensors after the sensor system is integrated with the steering wheel.
 31. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to detect a grip event associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a threshold for a specified duration.
 32. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to detect a swipe event associated with consecutively arranged sensors of the sensor array by determining that a positive change in force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a first threshold for a first specified duration, and a negative change in force associated with each of the consecutively arranged sensors exceeds a second threshold for a second specified duration.
 33. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to generate control information from the sensor signals, the control information being for use by a vehicle safety control system, a driverless vehicle control system, a vehicle braking control system, a vehicle cruise control system, a vehicle entertainment system, a vehicle navigation system, a vehicle communication system, or a vehicle environmental system. 